Officer Jonathan Diller was with another officer in the Far Rockaway neighborhood near Mott Avenue and Beach 19th Street before 6 p.m. when they approached a vehicle for being parked illegally at a bus stop. Diller was shot and later died. NBC New York’s Jessica Cunnington and Checkey Beckford have team coverage.
An NYPD officer was shot and killed Monday evening during a traffic stop in Queens, officials said.
Officer Jonathan Diller, who had been with the department for three years and was assigned to the NYPD's Community Response Team, was with another officer in the Far Rockaway neighborhood near Mott Avenue and Beach 19th Street before 6 p.m. when they approached a vehicle for being parked illegally at a bus stop, police said at a press conference at Jamaica Hospital.
There were two men inside the car they pulled over. The passenger refused to get out and pointed a gun at the officers, according to police. He then fired, shooting Diller in the torso underneath his bulletproof vest.
Diller's partner also fired, striking the suspect. The suspect then dropped the gun, and Diller tried to grab it.
Diller was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where he later died, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in the press conference.
"It was because of a senseless act of violence...a person had a total disregard for the safety of this city," Adams said.
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"This dangerous individual inflicted a level of violence that took the life of a police officer, of a husband, a son," Adams continued. "This is a loved one that we lost, a young man. My heart goes out to his family...We lost one of our sons today, and it is extremely painful."
The driver of the car that had been pulled over was previously arrested on gun charges in April 2023, according to police officials, and had 14 prior arrests. However, the driver was not the man with the gun who shot the officer.
"Less than a year, gun charge, he's back on the streets," said Adams. "This is what you call, not a crime problem, a recidivism problem. Same bad people doing bad things to good people."
Sources said the suspect is a 34-year-old who was shot in the back. He was also taken to the hospital, but his condition was not clear; police sources said he was out of surgery late Monday and is expected to survive.
Video of the scene show a car with an apparent bullet hole in the passenger side door. Officers recovered a firearm at the scene. The shooting took place right outside of City Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers' office.
"There will be plenty of time for anger, grief and for processing pain. But right now, our thoughts are with our fellow officers family, his fellow cops, and every member of the New York Police Department. But most of all, they're with the officer himself," said NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban.
In his three years with the NYPD, Diller had received four department recognitions.
“It takes unimaginable courage to protect and serve New York City, knowing there’s a chance you might not make it home to your family at the end of the day. NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller was the personification of that courage, and his heroism in making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of public safety will never be forgotten,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. “My heart breaks for his family, friends, colleagues and the entire NYPD."
